Notes that the developments in microcomputers such as extended memory, sound and graphics capabilities, development of digitizing, and the introduction of paint programs have enhanced the usefulness of microcomputer technology in artwork production. Discusses digitizing and the features of paint programs, and the implications for art production…

Suggests that films and videos enhance the English curriculum and makes students critical users of visual media. Seven strategies for using film and video in the classroom or media center are offered. Twelve highly recommended video series (most with teacher guides) are listed by elementary, middle, and high school level. Vendor information is…

The natural graphic talents of very young children do not deteriorate with age. Rather, aesthetic symbols are progressively devalued in the curriculum. Greater acknowledgement of the importance of graphic symbolization will improve symbolic literacy and contribute to cognitive development. (SK)

Investigates the supportive side of current technology in the visual process of learning and the issues instructional designers must address to utilize these capabilities and maximize their effects. Provides an overview of visual memory and discusses information processing and analogic reasoning, cognition and visual information processing, visual…

Argues that educators should train themselves and students to understand and cope with television's power. Describes an inventory of viewing and reading habits, then discusses how three principles of teaching television are expressed in class activities. Outlines a unit that takes students from television as "just entertainment" to active,…

Describes the American public's growing interest in art after World War II. Discusses the problematic history of arts in the public school curricula, in which arts programs are seen as a last priority in school reform and are the first to be eliminated in school districts facing financial retrenchment. (SR)

A series of articles examines visual literacy from the perspectives of definition, research, curriculum, and resources. Articles examining the definition of visual literacy approach it in terms of semantics, techniques, and exploratory definition areas. There are surveys of present and potential research, and a discussion of the problem of…

An aesthetically based analysis of the visual imagery of commercial television is provided, and the usefulness of television as a basis for visual aesthetic criticism in aesthetic education is considered. Directed, critical inquiry of television can extend knowledge in art and aesthetics and enhance the quality of people's lives. (RM)

Presents a visual literacy approach for limited-English-speaking students that incorporates both language and nonverbal thought processes. Describes how students take photographic essays, reconstruct the developed pictures using the visual framework of semantic maps, and write essays based on the photographs. (RS)

Contends that the increasingly central role of imagery in contemporary society calls for the development of a pedagogy emphasizing critical media literacy. Using examples from print advertisements for cigarettes, argues the need for cognitive competencies to withstand the onslaught of media messages, empowering individuals to become autonomous,…

Examines the use of a visual approach as an organizing framework for planning and writing various discourse styles. Finds that low literacy achievement students showed increased competence in different writing styles when they planned, photographed, and "story-boarded" photo essays, compared to traditional writing assignments. (RS)

Discusses links between visual literacy and print literacy in the following areas: graphic organizers; propaganda; video technologies; computer use; and children's drawing and writing. Describes a semiotic-theory model, depicting relationships among not only linguistic signs and visual signs, but other signs (musical, gestural, etc.) in…

A classroom teacher and media expert explain why television reaches students in ways that other media cannot (it brings the curriculum to life, speaks to today's students, and is immediate). The article includes tips for taking charge of the channels. A spring 1992 instructor's program guide lists educationally beneficial programs. (SM)

Presents activities to help teachers address the needs and behaviors of students raised on television; includes resources to help teachers use television productively in the classroom, a send-home reproducible on children and television violence, and notes on an interview with Shari Lewis and television tips for primary students. (SM)

Describes a three-day unit for eighth-grade geography classes that uses a videotape of an ABC News Special to combine a lesson on the Bosnian Civil War with a media-analysis activity. (SR)